10 myths about what can cure a hangover — and whether or not they really work by Kevin Loria on Mar 16, 2018, 12:12 PM Advertisement
 - Everyone has heard of a favorite hangover cure, but people still often find themselves searching for something that'll actually work to cure a hangover.
- That's partially because many hangover cures are myths.
- In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we explore the truth behind the myths.
Everyone's heard some version of a hangover cure. Some people swear that remembering to chug water before bed will cure a hangover. Others have more elaborate routines, involving various types of food, drink, or physical activity. The problem with trying to find a hangover cure is that many aspects of what causes a hangover are still a mystery to science. But that doesn't mean every hangover cure is bunk. From what we can tell, hangovers are at least partially — perhaps mostly — caused by the byproducts our bodies create when we break down alcohol. We know that people whose blood alcohol content spikes quickly suffer more severe hangovers, meaning that doing a bunch of shots is likely to send you down a dark and painful road. And we know that the more people drink, the worse the hangover they suffer after. Unfortunately, this also means that a lot of hangover "cures" are myths. Some of them might help you feel slightly better, but the degree to which they are a cure is questionable. In honor of St. Patrick's Day are some of the most common myths — and the truth behind them. SEE ALSO: How playing video games affects your body and brain Myth: Hangovers happen because you're dehydrated — chug a glass of water before bed and you'll be fine.  Truth: Drinking dehydrates you, and that dehydration usually accompanies a hangover but probably isn't responsible for it. Most hangover symptoms come from the breakdown of alcohol, not dehydration. And while we need water in our bodies to break down alcohol, we still won't feel better until our systems have dealt with the byproducts of that process. That said, no one wants to be dehydrated and hungover at the same time. So if you feel thirsty, chug away.
Myth: Liquor before beer, you're in the clear.  Truth: This isn't entirely false, but that's not because the order you drink things changes the way your body processes them. Alcohol is alcohol, and too much of it will make anyone feel sick. That said, people who switch from beer to mixed drinks or straight whiskey may be less likely likely to monitor their alcohol consumption and thus drink more. Plus, at least one small study indicates your body metabolizes carbonated drinks like beer and mixed drinks faster than higher-concentration alcohol (like a shot of whiskey). Adding liquor to a stomach-full of beer could, in theory, create a sort of mixed drink that would metabolize faster than one or the other on its own. But in general, the biggest effect here probably comes from being less careful with liquor after a few beers.
Myth: You can cure a hangover with 'hair of the dog.'  Truth: Having a drink the morning after a session can make you feel better, but it's not curing your hangover — it's prolonging it. Your body prefers to deal with ethanol instead of the painful byproducts created by breaking alcohol down, so if you give it more alcohol, it can temporarily take away the pain of breaking down alcohol's byproducts. But really, that's just putting off the pain. Your body still has to break down those byproducts, which means the pain may come back even worse later. Some researchers think this "hair of the dog" effect is why hangovers may be a risk factor for alcoholism instead of a natural deterrent to becoming an alcoholic. Studies show that alcoholics get some of the most severe hangovers around.
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